She's the Patron Saint of Geeks

Dr. Maria Montessori, pedagogical pioneer and "patron saint of geeks"

 

"The patron saint of geeks is probably Maria Montessori, who about 100 years ago got obsessed with the problem of how you educate young children best, and came up with the Montessori educational method, which is this radical departure from the industrial scale model of schools that was dominant then, and sadly still dominant now. Think about Maria Montessori when you think about a geek."

~ MIT Sloan School of Management principal research scientist Andrew McAfee, author of the book The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Results. He defines geeks as “obsessive mavericks,” people who become obsessed with hard problems and are willing to pursue unconventional solutions – to avoid the dysfunctions that have traditionally plagued companies as they expand. In his interview with the Harvard Business Review, from which the quote above comes, he sets Maria Montessori alongside many technology disruptors and management icons in this regard.
Hat tip to Lynn Lawrence, who cites in support Angeline Lillard's recent and brilliantly argued conclusion that "It is time for a paradigm shift in education, on a par with the Copernican revolution."